TOTAL POPULATION 28,514,000
CHILD POPULATION 12,831,300 |
Population Reference Bureau -2004 |
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TOTAL CHILD LABOUR
According to UNICEF estimates, about 8% of the children in the age group 5-14 are involved in child labour |
State of World's Children 2005, UNICEF |
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ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE POPULATION
For the year 2010, there are estimated to be 12,657,000 economically active people. 825,000 of them are estimated to be children aged 10-14 years constituting 22% of children in that age group |
ILO, Bureau of Statistics, Economically Active Population |
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GENDER RATIO
952 females for 1000 males |
CIA, factbook-2005 (Fig is an estimate for 2005) |
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CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL
UNICEF reported that 34 percent of children enrolled in school were girls, although this figures differed from province to province, with enrollment as low as 15 percent in some regions. An estimated 1.5 million school-age girls are not yet enrolled in classes. Since 2002, the number of girls attending school had increased by over 30 percent. Southern provinces also showed a net increase of about 30 percent, despite higher levels of insecurity and conflict. |
US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2004- February 2005 |
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| 3.2 million children attended school in 2002 |
US Dept of Labor's 2003 Findings on Worst Forms of Child Labor |
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PROGRESS ON PRIMARY EDUCATION MDG
No confirmed data |
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CHILD SLAVERY
Some parents pay smugglers to take their children into Iran and Saudi Arabia, hoping their children will find work and send remittances; once there, the children become subject to coercive arrangements that constitute involuntary servitude. Children are also “loaned” by their parents to perform agricultural and domestic work within Afghanistan in return for wages paid to the parents; these arrangements often develop into involuntary servitude. |
US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2005 |
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CHILD TRAFFICKING
Afghanistan is a country of origin for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and labor. Children are trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for forced begging, labor, and sexual exploitation. Women and girls are also trafficked internally as a part of the settlement of disputes or debts as well as for forced marriage and labor and sexual exploitation.
According to International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Afghans are also suffering from other human rights abuses related to trafficking. Forced recruitment into armed groups, forced labour for poppy cultivation and the abduction of young men and boys for forced religious training are some of them. According to IOM, exploitation of prostitutes, forced labour, practices similar to slavery, servitude and removal of body organs also occurs. |
US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2005 |
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CHILD PROSTITUTION
It is reported that impoverished Afghan families have sold their children into forced sexual exploitation, marriage and labour
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US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2005 |
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CHILDREN USED IN CRIME
No confirmed data |
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CHILD SOLDIERS
There are an estimated 8,000 child soldiers in the country. According to UNICEF, all fighting forces used children throughout the War including the Taliban, the Northern Alliance, Afghan Military Forces and other armed groups. Boys between the ages of 14 and 18 were used as spies, messengers, porters, security guards and cooks. They were also used to carry weapons and ammunition, dig trenches, search for the wounded and bury the dead. There were some reports of girls performing domestic work under the command structure of armed groups and being forced into early marriages with the commanders.
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CSUCS, Global Report on Child Soldiers, 2004 |
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CHILD LABOUR IN UNORGANISED SECTOR
Child workers are reported to be numerous in agriculture and the informal sectors including animal herding, collecting paper and firewood, shining shoes, begging or rummaging for scrap metals in the street.
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US Department of State, Country reports on Human Rights Practices 2002 |
